A water main in Baltimore damaged by a contractor leaves thousands of homes and business without service for hours.

The Baltimore City Department of Public Works said a contractor damaged a water main leading to the Colgate Water Tank in eastern Baltimore County. The break occurred on Simmons Avenue near the tank late Tuesday afternoon.

About 2,600 homes and businesses in the area roughly bounded by East Baltimore Street on the north, Merritt Boulevard on the east, Delvale Avenue on the south and Quinton Street on the west may have experienced a temporary water outage for a few hours Tuesday evening.

DPW officials said crews isolated the break and finished up repairs by Tuesday evening. Water was eventually restored.

To report water outages in Baltimore City, call 311. In Baltimore County, call 410-396-5352.